The present invention pertains to computer systems and communication networks, particularly networked computer systems that enable interactive communications between two or more computer systems.
Computers, particularly personal computers, are well on there way to becoming as ubiquitous as televisions and telephones. The ascendency of computers from relative obscurity to commonness has been fueled by their utility as everyday communications devices. This utility stems largely from the fantastic, compounded growth of computer networks, particularly the much heralded Internet.
The Internet, a worldwide network of computers interconnected through private wiring systems and public telephone systems, functions as a planetary communications system for sending and receiving information from one computer to one or more other computers. A seminal example of Internet-based communications is electronic mail, more commonly known as e-mail. E-mail, an electronic analog to centuries-old parcel-based mail systems, entails creating a message and sending it electronically to a recipient by specifying her computer address. The message, which may include text, audio, and video information, waits in an electronic mailbox to be accessed at the recipient""s convenience without further action by the sender.
The Internet also supports interactive communications, such as conversations, between two or more computer users or computer systems. Interactive communications also encompass videoconferencing as well as multi-player games with many players interacting on a common gameboard or playing field or within an artificial environment. However, regardless of the particular manifestation, interactive communications between two users requires that each user, more precisely each user""s computer system, be connected to the other user""s computer system. In network parlance, this means each user must be online.
Unfortunately, it is fairly common that when one user tries to converse, play, or otherwise interact with another user over a network, such as the Internet or the Public Shared Telephone Network via point-to-point protocol, the other user is not online, foiling the desired interaction. When this happens, the one user has several inconvenient options, including trying the interaction later or manually telephoning the user at his home or office. However, if the other user is away from his computer or telephone, none of these options is very helpful.
To address these and other shortcomings, the inventor has devised a system, method, and software that enable online users to conveniently notify offline users of their desire to interact. Specifically, one embodiment determines that a particular user or computer system is offline or otherwise unavailable, searches a database listing other communications devices associated with that user or computer system, and then automatically tries to transmit a message to another communications device, for example, a wireless pager, associated with the offline user or computer system. The message, in some embodiments, identifies the network address of the computer user seeking an online interaction as well as the type of interaction, for example, an online conversation or multi-player game.
Other embodiments, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in view of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.